Odyssey Study Guide Index Page
The Odyssey - Book 1 - in English | Summary | Notes | Major Characters | Quiz on The Odyssey - Book I As at the start of other Greco-Roman epic poems, The Odyssey begins with an invocation of the Muse. The Muse is held responsible for inspiring the poet to tell his story. In this case, the beginning of the poem not only invokes the Muse but tells some of the background.
Zeus introduces the topic of Orestes. Orestes is the son of Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek forces in the Trojan War. When Agamemnon returned home, he was killed. Sometimes the literature says it is his wife Clytemnestra who wields the knife. Here it is her lover, Agamemnon's cousin Aegisthus.
Poseidon is upset because Odysseus blinded his one-eyed son Polyphemus. This happened in a cave in which the giant cyclops kept Odysseus and his men prisoner. In order to escape, Odysseus stabbed Polyphemus while he was sleeping. Then he and his men flee the cave by attaching themselves to the underbellies of the sheep Polyphemus also keeps in the cave.
the messenger god of The Iliad is Iris, the rainbow goddess. In The Odyssey, it is Hermes. There is a long-standing controversy over whether the Iliad and Odyssey were written by different people. This is the type of inconsistency that makes people wonder.
Hospitality is a central motif in Greek mythology. Telemachus is upset that the guest (Athena disguised as Mentes) has not been received graciously, his needs tended to, so Telemachus makes sure the guest is comfortable and has eaten before he asks anything about who the guest might be. He also wants to give the guest a present, but the guest says he must go and cannot wait for it. The suitors are guests, too, but are unwelcome. They have been there for years.
Euryclea is described as having tended to Telemachus from infancy. She was a lovely young woman slave whom Laertes bought and then respected so much he refrained from having sexual relations with her.
Penelope shows up to ask the singer to change his song, but is over-ruled by her son, who should be the man of the house. Penelope is surprised by her son's behavior, though. She does as he says.
